I can sympathise with the pax. Maybe it's just my memory, but it seemed many years ago that QF could be relied upon to depart on time and arrive close to the ETA...almost all the time. It's just become a tossup in recent years. Of 5 trips (within the last 8 years or so) across the Pacific, QF has been late for all but four of 10 legs . And not just a little late. The worst was a flight with connections that should have taken 24 hours, that turned into an ordeal of just shy of 48 hours. It wouldn't have taken much to placate me. A shower and a stretch out on a comfy chair would have been nice, and would have ensured that I return to book another flight. As it is, I'll fly JAL via Narita before I book again with QF on a direct flight.
Granted, aircraft have maintenance and other issues. Most people opt to put up quietly with inconveniences and consider the rare disruption to plans just part of life. But when those plans seem to be regularly disrupted, then patience gets frayed.